Royston Drenthe

1.1. Childhood and Feyenoord Youth

Born in Rotterdam, Drenthe is of Surinamese descent. He joined his local club Feyenoord's youth system at the age of 13. During his junior years, he primarily played as a winger. However, disciplinary issues arose during a trip to Switzerland with Feyenoord's B-side. As a result, coach Marcel Bout initially wanted to remove Drenthe from the club. The situation was ultimately resolved through the intervention of Rob Baan, the club's director of football. Following these issues, Bout rarely selected Drenthe in his subsequent lineups, and at the end of the season, the then 16-year-old Drenthe was identified as one of eleven players whose future at the club was uncertain.

1.2. Excelsior and Return to Feyenoord

Drenthe subsequently moved to Excelsior, a feeder club for Feyenoord. He spent two years there, during which his skills significantly improved. Manager Marco van Lochem effectively utilized him in a left-back position, a role he excelled in. His impressive performances at Excelsior caught the attention of Feyenoord's coaching staff, who then requested him to rejoin the club, an offer he accepted.

2.1. Feyenoord

In the 2005-06 season, Drenthe was promoted to Feyenoord's first team, which was managed by his former youth coach Henk Fräser. He competed with Mohammed Hamauti for a starting position. After scoring three goals against Ajax as a wide midfielder in the Otten Cup youth tournament, he began training with the main squad while still making appearances for the reserves. In the same week he contributed to a 5-1 victory over Ajax with the second team, Drenthe was offered a professional contract at Feyenoord. Manager Erwin Koeman gave him his Eredivisie debut against Vitesse at the Gelredome, and he concluded the season with three first-team matches.

During the 2006-07 season, Feyenoord signed veteran Belgian player Philippe Léonard, and Pascal Bosschaart was also a key squad member. However, after Léonard suffered an injury and Bosschaart was transferred to ADO Den Haag, Drenthe became the first-choice left-back. Feyenoord finished seventh in the league that season. Following his standout performance at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship with the Netherlands, media speculation about a transfer intensified. Feyenoord ultimately accepted a 14.00 M EUR bid from Real Madrid, a transfer Drenthe had pushed for, even reportedly threatening legal action against Feyenoord if they did not facilitate his move.

2.2. Real Madrid

Drenthe was formally presented as a Real Madrid player on August 13, 2007, alongside his compatriot Wesley Sneijder. He made his official debut as a midfielder in the second leg of the Supercopa de España against Sevilla. He scored a memorable 1-1 equalizer from approximately 118 ft ^{(36 m)} out, with the ball striking the crossbar before crossing the line. Despite his goal, Real Madrid, known as the Merengues_Meringues^Spanish, lost the match 3-5 at home and 3-6 on aggregate. In Madrid, he was also involved in a traffic accident, colliding with a police vehicle.

In his debut season, Drenthe played regularly for Real Madrid in both left-wing positions. However, his appearances began to decrease following the development of Marcelo. He was occasionally omitted from the 18-man squad by manager Bernd Schuster. At one point, after being left out for a match against Valencia, Drenthe reportedly stormed out of the training ground in frustration. He finished the campaign with 18 league appearances, scoring his first league goal against Real Valladolid in a dominant 7-0 home victory on February 10, 2008. He also featured in four matches in the UEFA Champions League that season.

Despite rumors of a potential loan departure, Drenthe participated in 15 of Real Madrid's first 18 games in the 2008-09 season. However, he began to experience anxiety issues after being booed by the club's supporters during a 1-0 home win against Deportivo de La Coruña. This led to a period where he did not feature for the club, although manager Juande Ramos publicly offered his support and insisted he would help the player. The manager later revealed that Drenthe himself had requested not to be selected for the three games immediately following the Deportivo fixture due to his anxiety.

2.3. FC Alania Vladikavkaz

Drenthe departed Real Madrid after his contract expired on June 30, 2012. In December of the same year, he signed a contract with the Russian club Alania Vladikavkaz, with the agreement taking effect on February 2, 2013. Drenthe made his league debut for his new team on March 9, 2013, against Rostov. Following the match, coach Valery Gazzaev praised Drenthe, calling him "a great professional and an example for the youth." On April 15, in only his fifth game for the club, he scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 home win over fellow relegation competitors Mordovia Saransk. This victory marked Alania's first home win since August of the previous year and ended an 18-match winless streak.

2.4. Reading FC

Reading officially confirmed the signing of free agent Drenthe on a two-year contract, with an option for a third, on June 21, 2013. On March 8, 2014, Drenthe scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 away draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, cutting in from the right flank before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. His second goal for the club came on March 11, in a 4-2 away win against Leeds United, with a free-kick just after halftime. In July 2014, Drenthe was informed that he could leave Reading after only one season with the club. He was also stripped of his squad number when the official squad numbers were announced on July 14, 2014.

2.5. Kayseri Erciyesspor

On January 23, 2015, Drenthe joined Turkish Süper Lig side Kayseri Erciyesspor. He made his debut and scored his first goal for the club on January 25, 2015, in a 2-1 victory over Kardemir Karabükspor. On February 20, 2015, he scored his second goal in a 3-0 home win against Konyaspor, after receiving the ball from the defense, taking a shot that hit the right post, and going past several opponents to find the net. Drenthe then scored his third goal for the club on March 15, 2015, in a 5-1 away loss against Beşiktaş, directly from a 98 ft ^{(30 m)} free-kick. Despite scoring three goals and providing one assist, Drenthe could not prevent his club from being relegated at the end of the season.

2.6. Baniyas Club

Drenthe joined UAE Pro League side Baniyas Club in September 2015. He signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional year. Despite receiving offers from other clubs, Drenthe chose Baniyas because he felt more comfortable and valued there. He made his debut for "The Sky Blues" on September 18, 2015, coming on as a substitute in a 3-3 draw against Fujairah SC. On October 24, 2015, he assisted a goal scored by Joaquín Larrivey in a 2-2 draw against Al Jazira. On January 9, 2016, Drenthe provided an assist to Ishak Belfodil, who scored the sole goal for Baniyas in their match against Al Shaab. He was officially released by the club in July 2016.

2.7. Temporary Retirement and Comeback

After being unable to find a new club, Drenthe announced a temporary hiatus from professional football, stating that he was "no longer a footballer." During this period, he began recording music under the stage name Roya2Faces. After a two-year break, Drenthe decided to return to professional football.

4.1. Youth National Teams

After his impressive debut season with Feyenoord's first team, Drenthe was called up by Dutch under-21 coach Foppe de Haan for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, which was hosted in the Netherlands. He played a crucial role in "the Jong Oranje_{Young Orange team}^Dutch"'s second consecutive title in the competition and was selected by UEFA as the Player of the Tournament. The following year, he represented the Netherlands at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He also previously played for the Netherlands U-18 team, making one appearance in 2005, and the Netherlands U-19 team from 2005 to 2006, where he made six appearances.

4.2. Senior National Team

On November 14, 2010, Drenthe received his first call-up to the Dutch senior team when coach Bert van Marwijk selected him as a late replacement for the injured Urby Emanuelson. Three days later, he made his debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 friendly victory over Turkey. This was his only appearance for the full national team. He also featured once for the Netherlands B team in 2008.

5.1. Family and Relationships

Drenthe has a younger brother, Giovanni Drenthe, who is also a footballer and chose to represent Suriname internationally. His cousins, Georginio Wijnaldum and Giliano Wijnaldum, are also Dutch international footballers. Additionally, he is a cousin of Suriname international Tyrone Conraad and Levi Marengo, who played alongside him in the Feyenoord academy. Drenthe is also the nephew of Edgar Davids, a legendary former Juventus and Dutch national team player. He publicly dated Spanish Playboy model Malena Gracia. Drenthe has eight children from various relationships.

5.2. Music and Business Ventures

Drenthe has pursued a career in music as a rapper, performing under the name Roya2Faces. He recorded a rap song titled "Tak Takie" with his friend U-Niq. In 2011, he also released a single with a Dutch female singer. In 2014, Drenthe expanded his endeavors by opening a clothing store in Rotterdam with Michel Poldervaart.

5.3. Financial Issues

In December 2020, Drenthe declared bankruptcy after reportedly losing 3.20 M GBP. This financial difficulty highlighted the economic challenges he faced after his high-profile football career.

5.4. Current Occupation

In 2023, Drenthe transitioned into a new professional role, starting work in the healthcare sector. He explained this move by stating that his "entire family has always been in care." Additionally, on March 1, 2021, Drenthe was contracted by the Spanish sports program El Chiringuito de Jugones to serve as a sports commentator.

6.1. Club Honors

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2007-08
• Supercopa de España: 2008; runner-up: 2007

6.2. International Honors

Netherlands U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2007

6.3. Individual Achievements

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2007

8.1. Disciplinary Issues and Controversies

Throughout his career, Drenthe was involved in several notable disciplinary incidents. Early in his youth career at Feyenoord, he faced a near-expulsion from the club due to issues during a trip to Switzerland. While at Real Madrid, he reportedly stormed out of training after being omitted from the squad for a match against Valencia. He also suffered from anxiety issues after being booed by fans and even requested not to be selected for several games.

During his loan spell at Hércules, Drenthe lost the trust of the club's management and coaching staff after returning a week late from winter break. At Everton, he was granted a leave of absence on compassionate grounds but then reported late for training upon his return. This led to manager David Moyes excluding him from a crucial FA Cup semi-final and instructing him to stay away from the club, with former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard confirming his poor discipline. Perhaps most controversially, in an interview published in April 2012, Drenthe accused Barcelona's Lionel Messi of racially abusing him on multiple occasions, specifically stating that Messi repeatedly called him "negro_black^Spanish."

8.2. Career Trajectory and Evaluation

Royston Drenthe's football career is frequently analyzed as a testament to unfulfilled potential. Despite possessing exceptional speed, technical ability, and a powerful shot, especially evident during his early years at Feyenoord and flashes at Real Madrid, his professional journey was often marred by inconsistency, injuries, and a series of disciplinary problems across various clubs. His high-profile move to Real Madrid, followed by numerous loan spells and transfers to lower-tier leagues and non-professional clubs, highlighted a trajectory that deviated significantly from the initial promise of a top-tier European career. Critics and fans often point to his off-field conduct and attitude as major factors in his inability to solidify a consistent presence at elite levels, leading to a perception of a talented player who could not maintain the focus and discipline required for sustained success. His career thus serves as a case study in how factors beyond raw talent can influence a footballer's legacy.